Yes — the trick of NYC pizza isn’t that there are many good pizza places, it’s that good pizza (and a particular style of good pizza) is totally ubiquitous. Ditto bagels. The word from locals is that it’s the NYC tap water — Philadelphia has a dearth of both good bagels and good pizza, with a similar history and ethnic mix. The only difference is the H2O.

I, however, refuse to concede that NYC pizza is the best, because, in truth, Chicago and its pizza still own my heart. Of course, in all honesty, Chicago-style and NYC-style pizza are so dissimilar that they may as well be completely different dishes.

Tim’s probably right about the incomparability of regional pizza options. I’ve ingested some excellent slices of pizza in the greater NYC region, and yet they all pale beside a Chicago-style pizza, or even the thick-crusts of Upstate New York.